Сhаpter 33: Wоrriеd Аbоut Нer Husband
Shеn Rеsidencе, Study.
Shen Du hаd nоt rеturnеd fоr а day, аnd Zhu Yan’s heart was also in turmоil.
Shе had writtеn verу сlеаrly in thе mеmоriаl; thе Emрress should not рunish Shеn Du.
Yet Shеn Du had not returnеd for so lоng—could thеrе bе sоmе оvеrsight in her statеmеnt?
Reсаlling thе evеnts of thе dаy cаrеfully, shе felt that amidst thе coincidеnсеs, therе was also а trасe оf а wеll-оrсhеstratеd sсhemе.
Thе serial murdеr cаsе wаs growing inсrеаsinglу complеx, the Liang family mаtter had yеt to be сlarifiеd, аnd evеn Rong Zhui, whom she had once trusted somewhat, had lied to her.
What hidden secrets lay behind all this?
Zhu Yan picked up a brush, took out a small notebook, and began to record and analyze the entire case in detail on paper.
Unconsciously, the moon had already risen to the treetops.
It was late at night, and the tightly shut door still showed no sign of movement.
“Why hasn’t he returned yet?”
Zhu Yan opened the door and stepped out, raising her eyes to the full moon in the sky.
Without saying a word, worry had already taken root in her heart.
“Perhaps he is already on his way back.”
Zhu Yan comforted herself with this thought. “No news is good news; I’m just overthinking everything.”
Having reasoned it out, Zhu Yan turned around, closed the study door, and headed to the bedroom to prepare for her bath.
But as soon as she pushed open the bedroom door, she suddenly collided with a tall, muscular figure that still radiated warmth!
“Wh…!”
Before she could utter the next two words, Zhu Yan froze in place.
Shen Du had just finished bathing and was standing completely naked before her.
Zhu Yan had run right into him, and the sight made her recently calmed heartbeat suddenly quicken again.
Expressionless and without a word, she stood there dumbfounded for a moment before turning and walking out.
But as soon as she closed the door, Zhu Yan found it laughable. It wasn’t as if she had never seen a naked man before—why should she feel embarrassed?
After so many years of handling cases, hadn’t she seen plenty of bare corpses?
Thinking this, Zhu Yan turned to go back inside, only to suddenly encounter Shen Du opening the door.
By now, he had put on a plain white robe. His hair was still damp, with droplets of water trickling down from the ends.
The fresh, moist scent wafted toward her, and Zhu Yan momentarily didn’t know what to say.
Shen Du’s expression was as usual, as if what had just happened never occurred. “Remember to knock next time you come in.”
His cool tone sent a shiver through Zhu Yan’s heart, leaving her quite displeased.
“This is the bedroom, not a guest room. It’s you who chose not to sleep separately—what does that have to do with me?”
Shen Du remained silent, shifting the topic to ease the awkwardness. “Today’s matter—you were clever.”
“Alright, alright. Honestly, I just couldn’t afford to hire a troupe, so I came up with this idea. Now, please leave; I need to bathe.”
After saying this, without waiting for Shen Du’s agreement, she entered the room, pushed him out, and closed the door.
Watching the figure disappear behind the paper window of the bedroom, Shen Du’s lips curled upward once more.
It seemed he was beginning to accept this woman…
Bathing was the best way to wash away the fatigue of the day.
Zhu Yan sat in the bathtub, letting the steam soak into every inch of her skin.
A day of worry and case analysis had left her mentally exhausted. Now, she cast aside all burdens and quietly savored this moment of peace.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when, in this moment of tranquility, she drifted into a drowsy sleep.
Suddenly, a knock at the door startled her awake.
“Aren’t you done yet? The night wind is quite chilly; I’m coming in.”"..." Zhu Yan hurriedly got up to put on her clothes, "Wait a moment, I'll be ready soon."
After tidying everything up, Zhu Yan opened the door, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Since the night is chilly, why didn't you go to the study and instead waited here?"
"Tonight, I will stay here with you."
"..."
Zhu Yan was speechless, her heart filled with even more surprise. "What kind of joke is this? There's only one bed here. If you sleep here, where will I sleep?"
"What I mean is, I want to share the bed with you."
Shen Du suddenly turned around, lowering his gaze to look at the woman before him, whose face was flushed.
Zhu Yan still radiated warmth from her bath, mingled with a faint natural fragrance, like a lotus emerging from water, fresh and fragrant.
Seeing such a delicate and beautiful person, Shen Du felt another strange stirring in his heart.
"I only have three months left in your hands, why must you torment me like this?"
Zhu Yan wanted to defend herself, but Shen Du's words left her no room to retreat.
"Even if it's only three months, you are still the Lady Shen for those three months. Is there anything improper about a husband staying in his wife's room?"
"You!"
Zhu Yan knew Shen Du was deliberately teasing her, and what he said wasn't without reason. For a moment, she found herself unable to refute him.
"Fine, if you want to sleep here, then I'll go sleep somewhere else."
She had no intention of squeezing into a bed with a grown man at night, especially since the bed wasn't very large to begin with.
Just as Zhu Yan was about to turn away, Shen Du suddenly spoke.
"Tomorrow, His Majesty will send someone over. If you, as Lady Shen, are found staying elsewhere, it will give rise to gossip."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan finally understood—she had overthought things.
"Madam seems so averse to her husband. Could it be that you've thought of something?"
Shen Du raised his eyes to look at Zhu Yan again, his expression full of mischief.
"I haven't thought of anything," Zhu Yan concealed her embarrassment, forcing herself to appear calm. "Even so, you still can't sleep on the bed."
"Is Madam afraid to share a bed with her husband?"
Shen Du's words carried a hint of provocation. "You've never been intimate with a man before, so naturally, sharing a bed with one would feel awkward. But Madam need not worry—I am your husband. Even if something were to happen, no one would gossip."
Pfft...
Zhu Yan nearly choked on her own breath. When had Shen Du learned to be so shameless?
"Could it be that your husband guessed correctly?"
Shen Du provoked her again, and this time, it thoroughly displeased Zhu Yan.
"Who says I'm afraid? I am Lady Shen, and it's only natural for a wife to serve her husband. Fine, we'll sleep together—who's afraid of whom!"
After saying this, Zhu Yan actually jumped onto the bed first, wrapping herself in the blanket like a silkworm cocoon and squeezing herself to the inner side.
Seeing Zhu Yan like this, Shen Du felt another urge to laugh inwardly.
The woman looked rather adorable this way.
Returning to the bed, he lay down beside Zhu Yan and fell silent.
After a moment of quiet, Zhu Yan slowly turned her head to look at Shen Du.
"You... are you asleep?"
"No."
"Then... are you cold?"
"Cold."
There was only one blanket on the bed, and Zhu Yan had wrapped herself up like a cocoon, leaving none for Shen Du.
Shen Du lay on the bed in his thin sleeping robe—how could he not be cold?
Zhu Yan shifted slightly, pulling the blanket from beneath her to cover Shen Du.
With her back turned to Shen Du, Zhu Yan expected him to express his gratitude, but after a long while, she heard nothing.Zhu Yan stopped dwelling on it further. As she calmed down, her thoughts returned to the case.
"Do you know Princess Yongan?"
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